Description
The Ukrainian revolution of 2014 opened up new opportunities for a comprehensive reform of the country’s political, economic and legal system, as well as for building closer ties to the European Union. In the aftermath of the revolution, however, a major security crisis unfolded. The crisis, widely seen as the worst in Europe since the Balkan wars, is largely due to military intervention by the Russian Federation which occupied and annexed the autonomous region of Crimea and contributed to the escalation of tensions and an outbreak of violence in Eastern Ukraine.
The five-day summer school at the University of Tartu will address a number of themes central to the evolving political situation in Ukraine – those pertaining to domestic reforms and strategies of state- and nation-building as well as those related to the country’s precarious security situation and its external relations. The school will also examine the implications of the Ukrainian crisis for the relationship between the West and Russia, as well as for EU and Russian policies in their “shared” neighbourhood. Finally, the school reflects on the question of whether the Baltic states could be seen as constituting a possible model of development for Ukraine, and to what extent lessons from the Baltic transition experience could be useful and applicable in the Ukrainian context.
The general objective of the summer school is to promote democracy, stability and Europeanization in Ukraine through the training of future decision-makers, social scientists and opinion leaders at the University of Tartu (UT). The five-day summer school will bring together 25 students or recent graduates of Ukrainian universities, and up to 20 students studying in Estonian universities (including international students). The summer school offers lectures and seminars focusing on: 1) democracy, justice and rule of law, 2) state- and nation-building in divided societies; 3) European integration, including EU enlargement and neighbourhood policy, 4) factors influencing domestic and international stability in the post-Soviet space, with a particular focus on policies pursued by the Russian Federation 4) factors shaping the outcomes of transition processes, including an analysis of the reform and transition experiences of the Baltic states. The programme also features a study trip to Tallinn where participants will visit various state institutions and meet with representatives of the Ukrainian community in Estonia.
The summer school will be held at Tartu, Estonia’s second-largest city which is home to Estonia’s oldest and most renowned university. More information on Tartu is available here
The summer school is financially supported from the Development Cooperation programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia.
Eligibility
In order to be eligible for the Summer School, an applicant must meet the following criteria:
Costs
Virtually all expenses related to the participation of Ukrainian nationals in the summer school will be covered by the organizers of the summer school. Specifically, the following costs will be covered:
The following cost is not covered:
Application
The deadline for applications is 30 June 2014.
All application documents must be prepared in English.
The documents must be submitted via e-mail to Mariana Semenyshyn (semeny[at]ut.ee) AND to Varje Kuut (varje.kuut[at]ut.ee )
Please note that you are requested to submit scanned copies of some documents, such as passport identification pages and the university diploma. If you do not have access to a scanner, please contact Mariana Semenyshyn well ahead of the application deadline to discuss alternative options for submission such as sending a fax, etc.
Application documents include:
If you wish, you can also submit a Curriculum Vitae (CV).
Late applications will not be considered.
All applications will be read and evaluated by a three-member selection committee. Selection criteria include: academic and professional ability and achievement, relevance of previous educational and work experience to the theme of the summer school, motivation to participate, and command of the English language. The organizers seek to ensure a balanced representation of different regions of Ukraine. We are ready to accommodate participants with special needs (the premises of the summer school are accessible by wheelchair).
Applicants will be notified of the outcomes of the evaluation by July 10th, 2014 at the latest.
Contact and additional information:
For additional information and enquiries (in English, Russian or Ukrainian) please contact Mariana Semenyshyn (semeny@ut.ee).
